Writing tip of the week

(This week, I’m repeating the very first writing tip I sent out, back in October. I have to remind myself of this point regularly when I’m working on my own writing, so I thought it was worth saying again!)

Ernest Hemingway said, “The first draft of anything is rubbish.” Actually, he said something ruder than “rubbish”, but you get the idea. And, incidentally, Ernest Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

What does this tell us?

1. If we’re feeling that a first draft we’ve written is a bit dodgy, we’re in good company. Really great company, in fact.

2. First drafts are not for handing in. Whether it’s a novel or an essay we’re writing, the first draft is just a preliminary sketch.

3. So, what was Hemingway’s secret for turning a rubbish first draft into a piece of great writing? Answer: redrafting and redrafting (and redrafting).

4. If you want to improve your writing, make redrafting a big part of your writing life. It’s what most writers spend most of their time doing.